Today's society is highly mobile. That is, individuals can move rapidly from one location to the next by utilizing automobiles, mass transit, bicycles, and the like. The advantages of communication any time and almost anywhere, advances in technology, and the affordability of wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, pagers, personal communications systems (PCS), and personal digital assistants (PDA) have resulted in a proliferation of these wireless communication devices in this mobile society. Indeed, many more individuals, particularly children, teenagers, and the elderly, recognizing the many advantages in being able to initiate and receive calls while away from home, are being enrolled in ever-increasing numbers to wireless communication services.
To parents and guardians, outfitting their dependents with wireless communication devices provides a means for their dependents to call for help in an emergency and a means for parents and their dependents to stay in touch. Thus, telecommunications provides parents and guardians with technologically facilitated control and supervision of their dependents.
Unfortunately, a problem for users of wireless communication devices, and particularly for those seeking to find them, is the apprehension that occurs when the user of the wireless communication device is not available via the wireless device, i.e., an individual does not answer the device when it rings or when wireless service is not available. Mobility, the main advantage offered by a wireless communication device, is also a disadvantage in these situations. For example, the parent or guardian unsuccessfully seeking to locate their dependent via the wireless device may not know where their dependent is because by using a wireless device, a dependent is not required to be at a fixed location to communicate with his or her guardians.
In 1996, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Report and Order requiring all wireless carriers and cell phone manufacturers to provide the capability for automatically identifying to emergency dispatchers the location from which a wireless call is being made. The FCC's wireless 911 rules seek both to improve the reliability of wireless 911 services and to provide enhanced features generally available for wireline calls.
Timing for implementing the E-911 requirements is divided into two phases. Phase I requires wireless carriers to deliver to the emergency dispatcher the telephone number of a wireless handset originating a 911 call, as well as the location of the cell site or base station receiving the 911 call, which provides a rough indication of the caller's location. This phase was implemented by the end of 1998. Phase II requires carriers to deliver more specific latitude and longitude location information, known as Automatic Location Identification (ALI), to the dispatcher. The Phase II mandate establishes deployment schedules and sets accuracy and reliability requirements for ALI technologies.
Various techniques are being developed to locate wireless communication devices in response to the FCC E-911 Phase II mandate. These technologies encompass both network-based and handset-based equipment and processes.
Network-based technologies generally encompass time difference of arrival (TDOA) techniques, which calculate the location of a wireless device based on the speed the radio frequency signal reaches multiple nearby antennas, and angle of arrival (AOA). With AOA, cell sites identify the direction from which a signal is coming and then plot the direction of the incoming call based on a reading from two cell sites. Hand-set based technologies may employ the network of Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) or a hybrid combination of network-based and GPS to determine a current location of a wireless device. The current location, ascertained using GPS, is then communicated through the wireless communication network to a call center.
The current location of a wireless communication device, derived from ALI techniques, is provided in response to a 911 call initiated by a wireless device. Unfortunately, no mechanisms are in place for providing the current location of a wireless device to the general public when the wireless device is initiating anything other than a 911 call or not participating in a call of any kind. There may be no mechanisms in place because of the problems of logistics, i.e. making the information readily accessible by authorized individuals, and security, i.e. implementing safeguards to secure sensitive personal information from unauthorized individuals. In addition, there may be no mechanisms in place because of problems associated with interpretability, i.e. providing the current location information in a format that is readily interpreted by the authorized individual, and affordability.